Goodbye, sweet Toonces.

Back in our college days, Mike and I had a friend who had taken in a stray cat. Then they got a dog, and the two did not mix. So, we inherited Toonces. She survived Mike and his college roomies, and was the first "baby" that we ever really loved.

I guess that I am an animal person, maybe more than I realized. I don't love all animals, but I sure loved this one. She was a great cat. She didn't have that aloof arrogance that so many cats have. She loved to snuggle. And she slept with me every night. There were a few times that I would even wake up to her "grooming" my hair as I slept. She was playful and loving and super low maintenance. She truly was part of our family.

Then once we had "real" babies, she even survived them! I loved watching both of our kids discover Toonces and seeing how generally good natured she was with both of them. She endured more than her fair share of "gentle touches" and horse back rides!

(This picture was taken after a less than gentle touch. I promise that Carter was not in any real danger!)

A couple of weeks ago, Toonces quit eating. It turns out that she had tumors in her neck and stomach. Our vet told us that the most loving thing to do would be to put her to sleep. And I was surprised by the intensity of my emotional reaction to the whole situation. I have spent the last week teary and sad. And horrified by the thought of choosing the day to take her in. We knew that this was the right thing to do- her whole body just deteriorated so very quickly and it was obvious that she was hurting. I know that the world is full of real tragedy and bigger problems than losing a pet, but my heart is so very sad.

So, today I said goodbye to an old friend. A sweet friend who has seen me through many happy times and snuggled with me through some hard times. She was a spunky little beast, and I will miss her tremendously.

Goodbye, Toonces. I love you.